Despite Minnesota getting to the playoffs for the first time since the inaugural season, allowing them to shed the title of the team with the most wins with fewest playoff appearances, it was very tough for the organization and fan base to be as excited as they should have been.
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| Luis "Patches" Rodriguez |
OF Larry White and 2B Lorenzo Rodriguez were both injured in the last week of the season and would be out for the entire playoffs. These two players accounted for 75 of the team’s 275 HR and 14.5 WAR. There were easily the two most important players in the organization this season for a team that held a narrow wildcard lead as it was, so they went into the playoffs as underdogs anyway, but without White and Patches, a series win against So Cal would have been nothing short of a miracle.
That said, there were quite a few highlights this season and a lot of reasons to look forward to next season.
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| Peter Blanchard |
- Peter Blanchard had arguably his best season since 2014, hitting 40 HR and driving in 133 RBIs. “Arguably” because he he was limited to playing against RHP and appeared in the second fewest number of games (138), despite being healthy the entire season because he has become ineffective against LHP. He also signed a very team friendly contract to stay in Minnesota and became the league’s career leader in HR, surpassing Tom Becker with 293.
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| Xavier Chavez- Is there a reason these MN players are aging quickly? |
- Xavier Chavez took over the full time catching role from Bodil Larson this season and hit .310 with a .361 OBP. While a full-time, franchise catcher might a couple seasons away, Chavez could be someone Minnesota keeps on the roster longer than expected.
- OF Raymond Moor signed a minor league contract in April and was a valuable platoon/backup player, hitting .296/.371/.500 in just over 200 PAs. A RHB, he actually had more success against RHP despite being signed for a platoon type role.
- The starting pitching was good enough to to be average in the RCL with a 5.43 ERA, which is good enough to be a winning team with a top offense, though the bullpen does need to see improvement.
Questions for the Offseason:
- Will the team pickup Eric McSwan’s option? He’s 36 and in line for 15M next season. However, he did destroy LHP (.936 OPS), which is what he was paid to do and necessary on a team with very few capable RHB.
- How will the team improve its defense? The Berserkers needed to dig deep this year in the middle infield due to injuries, but the lack of a true CF may also have been a factor in MN being 11th in BABIP in the RCL. Regardless, this needs to improve.
Harley FIsher Who will start in CF next year? Harley Fisher earned the spot last season with a fantasticoffensive and defensive season in 2017 (5.1 WAR). This season, he was a replacement level hitter and had a -9 ZR. Not good enough, but there aren’t any ready replacements in the organization.
- Will MN make a big splash in FA or via trade? With the need for a CF and a possible ace pitcher, there is reason to do so. On the other hand, free agency has been pretty disappointing in the ABL and a lot of teams have similar strengths and weaknesses.
